Erdogan: the UN system with the right of veto of five countries is not fair
The UN system, in which the will of more than 190 countries is subordinated to the decision of only five states with the right of veto, is not fair, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech at the UN General Assembly. He also outlined Ankara's position on the settlement of conflicts in Ukraine, Syria and Cyprus.
Mr. Chairman, Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government, Mr. Secretary General, distinguished delegates! I greet you with the warmest feelings on my behalf and on behalf of my people. It is a great pleasure for me to speak to you from this rostrum again. I pray to the Almighty that the 81st session of the UN General Assembly will be a blessing for all mankind and, above all, for the oppressed. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mrs. Burbok for her work as President of the General Assembly, and also extend my best wishes to Mr. Filemon Yang, who is taking up this position. I would also like to congratulate and thank my esteemed friend, Mr. Guterres, who has served as the UN Secretary—General for almost 10 years, for his impartiality and, above all, for his courage and honesty.
First of all, I would like to express my deep regret for one thing. The State of Palestine is officially recognized by the overwhelming majority of the Member States present here. However, His Excellency Mahmoud Abbas, the esteemed President of the State of Palestine, has been unable to attend these sessions for two years in a row. This injustice towards our Palestinian brothers and sisters deeply offends the conscience of humanity. Let it be known to everyone: although President Abbas cannot be here in person, we will continue to be the voice of the free and sovereign State of Palestine, as we were last year. From this rostrum, we will continue to make the struggle of the Palestinian people heard everywhere. I take this opportunity to once again call on all countries that have not yet recognized the State of Palestine to reconsider their position.
Mr. Chairman, distinguished members of the Assembly! When the UN Charter was signed on June 26, 1945, the Member States proclaimed with great hope the following: "We, the peoples of the United Nations, determined to save future generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime brought untold grief to humanity, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person... and to create conditions under which justice and respect for obligations arising from contracts can be respected... to show tolerance and live together, in peace with each other, as good neighbors, and to join forces to maintain international peace and security." That's what they said then. But although 81 years have passed since the signing of the treaty, humanity is still looking forward to the day when this firm determination will be realized.
You don't have to go far — just look at the picture that has unfolded over the past year. Think about it: the past 12 months have gone down in history as one of the bloodiest periods in the last 30 years, marked by more than 60 conflicts and wars. From the Gaza Strip to Ukraine and Russia, from Myanmar to Darfur,
From Iran to Lebanon, a quarter of a million people lost their lives. And even more people were subjected to indescribable suffering. Hundreds of thousands were forced to leave the lands where they were born and raised.
In Gaza alone, over the past three years, we have lost 74,000 of our brothers and sisters, most of whom are women and children. We lost them as a result of what we regard as acts of State terror by Israel. Gazans are still searching for their loved ones under the rubble. They extract the bodies of their spouses, children, and parents. Innocent children who lost their arms and legs as a result of Israeli attacks are trying to return to school. They are trying to come back to life with prosthetics made of wood. In Gaza's hospitals, more than 70 percent of the power generators are now out of service due to fuel shortages.
Personally, as a father and grandfather who dotes on his children and grandchildren, I have to declare with a heavy heart from this rostrum: today, Gaza is not only the largest cemetery for children in the world, it is also the place with the highest rate of amputations for children. Gaza has become the most inhumane and shameful concentration camp of our time. Indeed, thanks to the efforts and with the participation of a number of countries, including my country, Turkey, a ceasefire agreement was reached. But even after that, the number of Gazans killed exceeded 1,500. Although the Palestinian resistance movement has agreed to move to the second phase of the peace plan, the Israeli Government refuses to end the occupation. Meanwhile, the West Bank is experiencing the most violent period of what we call settler violence and terror. In Jerusalem, Muslims and Christians are denied access to holy sites. Attempts are being made to destroy UNRWA, our common initiative.
Dear friends, today I will again speak from the bottom of my heart, very sincerely and without concealment, and I will directly mention some facts. Please don't be offended or upset. This is not a personal matter of Tayyip Erdogan. This is a humanitarian problem. This is a matter of conscience for all of us. We are faced with a genocidal mindset that cannot get enough of killing. We are in an extremely serious situation. No one with a sense of humanity, mercy or compassion, no one guided by justice and conscience, can remain indifferent to this picture. This picture should shock us all. And what she's talking about is quite clear.: The United Nations, established decades ago to maintain international peace and security, is no longer capable of fulfilling this mission. Or, more precisely, she was deprived of this ability.
The UN continues to weaken. Those in Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan and other crisis zones who pinned their hopes on the UN are deeply disappointed. But let me remind you that one day everyone will have to seek refuge in the collective conscience of humanity. We can feel safe today. We can feel prosperous and live in peace. Today we can live in comfort, far from conflict zones and crises, but none of us knows what tomorrow will bring or what may happen to us.
That is why I believe that the theme of this year's General Assembly is particularly timely and relevant, as it focuses on restoring confidence in the international system. We support the sincere efforts of the Secretary-General in this regard. We expect this commitment to reform to continue during the next term of the Secretary General. Of course, I want to make this clear: if we are truly committed to restoring trust in the United Nations, the steps that need to be taken are very clear. Children in Gaza must be safe. When Palestinian children look up at the sky, they should see free-flying kites, not fighter jets and drones. Children in Lebanon should not wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of bombing. The labor of Asian workers should not be exploited by ruthless capitalists. Our African brothers and sisters should look to their future with the same confidence and hope as the citizens of prosperous countries. This is the only way to restore trust in the UN.
We must recognize that a system in which the will of more than 190 countries is subordinated to the whim of just five States is not fair and cannot fully inspire confidence. The Security Council must be reformed without delay in accordance with the principle of "The world consists of more than five".
Dear friends! Keeping pace with rapidly evolving technologies, we also have a difficult but noble responsibility to build a more just international order. At this stage, I want to share with you a few basic principles.
First, we must change the current mindset in which international law is applied differently to the strong and the weak. Let's not forget that an international system in which violators can get away with anything, and even worse, where impunity has become the norm, such a system is doomed to collapse.
Secondly, when international efforts prove insufficient to resolve crises, we must use regional responsibility as an effective tool. Whenever Turkey has acted on the basis of this principle, as in the case of the Black Sea Grain Corridor, we have achieved results and contributed to both regional and global security.
Thirdly, we must absolutely restore an approach that puts cooperation and open diplomacy at the center of relations between States. History has shown us the hard way over and over again that there are no winners in a politics based on distrust.
Fourthly, we must work together to build a new paradigm that offers solutions to the problem of ever-deepening income inequality around the world. We believe that the way to achieve this lies through joint development, solidarity and interconnectedness. Societies connected to each other by roads, trade, energy networks, and co-production will eventually unite in peace and stability.
Finally, by promoting a human-centered approach to technology, we must prevent the construction of new barriers between those who possess technology and those who do not. It must be understood that techno-polarization and digital hegemony do not meet either the interests of the UN-oriented system or the interests of the member states themselves.
Dear delegates, Turkey does not limit itself to proclaiming these principles. With every step we take, we strive for a more just and humane international system. Through the defense alliance that we recently established with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, based on the principle of regional responsibility, we strengthen our solidarity and strive to find solutions to the problems of our region through the efforts of the region itself. We continue our efforts together with relevant actors to put an end to the atmosphere of conflict and wars that have broken out in the Persian Gulf. I strongly emphasize that any dangerous attempt to spread these conflicts to neighboring regions does not serve anyone's interests.
As for Gaza, we remain committed to implementing the agreement we signed in Sharm el-Sheikh a year ago. Now we must start rebuilding Gaza as soon as possible. In this regard, I urge you to put more pressure on Israel. Let everyone understand and acknowledge the following: Attempts to strangle the State of Palestine will fail. God willing, we will live to see the bright days when an independent Palestinian State will be established within the borders of 1967, with territorial integrity and with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Dear friends, after 14 years of oppression, Syria has embarked on a new path thanks to the revolution. We can see how Syria is moving towards its goal of becoming a safe and peaceful country today, despite all forms of internal and external provocations. We will continue to support the brotherly Syrian people along this path. In Iraq, another neighboring country, we fully support efforts to strengthen State authority and consolidate stability. We are working with Iraq on strategic transport and energy projects that will enhance the well-being of our region. The "Development Road" project is particularly important among them.
As for the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, we sincerely hope that it will end with respect for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. We continue to contact the parties in order to restore the safety of navigation in the Black Sea, ensure food security and prevent the spread of war to the wider region. I would like to emphasize in particular that the recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea, regardless of who is carrying them out, are unacceptable. We believe that freedom of navigation should be maintained in the Strait of Hormuz.
In the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean region, we want to see a solution to existing problems based on good-neighborly relations and in accordance with international law. Our proposal to hold a conference on the Eastern Mediterranean will help to find common ground. I take this opportunity to reiterate the call that I have repeatedly made at previous sessions of the UN General Assembly: the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people must be recognized, and the inhuman isolation to which they are subjected must finally end. I call on the international community to recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and establish political, diplomatic and economic relations with it.
Dear delegates, With its growing defense industry and resilient economy, Turkey continues to be an island of stability at the heart of the raging conflicts in the neighborhood. As an integral part of Europe, our country plays a significant role in ensuring the well-being and security of the European continent. The NATO Summit in Ankara, which we successfully held, was a concrete manifestation of our commitment to common security. A Europe that excludes Turkey from its security architecture — let me make this clear — simply cannot be stronger or safer. We are shaping our future together with the European Union through this strategic vision. And we expect the same vision from the European Union.
The Balkans is a region with which we have strong historical, cultural and human ties. Within the framework of the Balkan Peace Platform, we are taking joint steps to deepen our cooperation. Our position on the South Caucasus is also very clear.: We hope for the establishment of lasting peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia. We highly appreciate and support the commitment to a settlement demonstrated by President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan. We are also resolutely advancing the process of normalization of relations between our country and Armenia.
I am also pleased to note that the Organization of Turkic States has become an exemplary model of regional cooperation, which is gaining momentum from year to year. The 13th Leaders' Summit, which will be held in Ankara, will hopefully open new doors and new horizons for the organization. The fourth Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit, which we are organizing in Libya in December, symbolizes the institutional partnership that we have been building for more than two decades. In South Asia, it is important that all disputes, including the Kashmir issue, be resolved through dialogue within the framework of the UN Charter and relevant resolutions. Any problems can be solved with a constructive approach.
The same applies to tensions on the African continent. We fully support efforts to bring about a ceasefire and lasting peace in Sudan, as well as efforts to strengthen security, development and institutional capacity in Somalia. Meanwhile, maintaining stability and calm in Libya is our priority. It is imperative that the ongoing reconciliation process be led and owned by the Libyan people themselves. Turkey continues to support the success of this process. Also, as part of our "Asia Again" initiative, we continue to strengthen our relationships with partners in the Asia-Pacific region. We consider the elevation of our relations with ASEAN to the status of a dialogue partner as a concrete result of this approach. Similarly, we are developing our relations with Latin American and Caribbean countries based on mutual respect, partnership and an approach that benefits both sides.
Dear members of the Assembly, We all draw our livelihood and life itself from nature. But our world is changing. It stands on the threshold of serious environmental and climate threats. Air, water, soil, as well as many species of living beings are affected by climate change. While developing countries and the Pacific region are feeling the full impact of the climate crisis, they unfortunately face serious difficulties in accessing the necessary financing. This November, we will host the COP31 summit in the Turkish province of Antalya. At this summit, we will make sure that climate justice is given special attention. Through our partnership with Australia, we aim to make COP31 a summit of real action, where financial commitments are fulfilled, technology transfer is accelerated, and promises are translated into concrete steps. So COP31 will become the point of our unification. I take this opportunity to invite you to the COP31 Leadership Summit.
""In 2017, my wife, Mrs. Emine Erdogan, initiated the "Zero Waste" Movement under the slogan "The world is our common home." This initiative has now grown into a global awareness campaign. Of course, there are many ways to combat the climate crisis. But the "Zero Waste" movement is the most solid bridge where all these paths converge. I believe that with your support, this bridge will become even stronger.
I would also like to draw your attention to the following fact. Another threat, as serious as climate change, is the spread of a culture of waste fueled by an incredible thirst for consumption. Every year, 5.8 trillion servings of food are sent to the trash worldwide, which means the loss of more than 2 billion tons of food. We cannot talk about justice in a world where, on the one hand, tons of food are thrown in the trash, and on the other, hundreds of millions of people are searching for food in dumpsters. Turkey is ready to make any possible contribution both to preventing waste and to ensuring global food security. Based on this understanding, we have nominated Dr. Mehmet Mehdi Eker for the post of Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). I am sure that you will not refuse to support our candidate.
It is also worth noting the following. As our world is rapidly changing, humanity is facing new social threats. At the forefront of these issues is Islamophobia, which is spreading like a plague in the West. In particular, Muslim women and girls have been increasingly discriminated against in recent years. We consider the ban on wearing the hijab, introduced in schools in some countries, as an encroachment on the most fundamental rights of women. Growing xenophobia, cultural racism and anti—Semitism are also toxic trends that must be resolutely combated.
Global policies of "gender neutralisation" have turned into a veritable siege aimed at innocent children and the very institution of the family. We can only break this siege by protecting a family consisting of a man and a woman. Turkey will continue to take initiatives to protect families and children, despite attacks from certain lobby groups. Another threat undermining the social world is the spread of misinformation on social media. Protecting the truth has become more important today than ever before. We face a similar risk in the field of artificial intelligence, which is becoming increasingly difficult to control. It is time to create a common international legal framework for AI. It is extremely important to accelerate the ongoing work on the development and entry into force of the UN International Convention on Artificial Intelligence.
Dear delegates, The realities that I've been talking about here with an open heart today will undoubtedly upset someone, disrupt their comfort, and unmask their lies. I also know perfectly well that they will resort to any manipulation of public opinion in an attempt to silence us. The late poet said the following:
"They think that if we keep quiet, the problem will disappear.
But even if we remain silent, history will not remain silent.
Even if history remains silent, the truth will not remain silent.
They believe that if they get rid of us, the problem will be solved.
But even if they get rid of us, they can't escape the pangs of their own conscience.
Even if they run away from the pangs of conscience, they will not escape the judgment of history.
Even if they escape the judgment of history, they will not escape the punishment of the Lord."
As Tayyip Erdogan, as the president of a great nation guided by its conscience, its history and its compassion, God willing, as long as the Lord gives me life, I will continue to defend the rights of the oppressed, the rights of the dispossessed and the voiceless from this rostrum. I will continue to be their voice, speak on their behalf and fight for them. If necessary, we will withstand the difficulties. If necessary, we will pay the price, but we will not remain silent in the face of injustice and will never accept oppression.
Looking at today, we see two paths ahead of us. Either we will deepen uncertainty through fear, conflict, and isolation, or we will build a future together through justice, solidarity, and the common good. Of course, it's easy to curse the darkness. What is really difficult is to light a candle that will dispel this darkness. Turkey has chosen the second path, and I hope we will follow it with patience. I pray to God that he will make our journey easier, be our guide and helper. I invite our friends, who are listening to us today in this Room and in every corner of the world, to embrace this common vision of the future.
I greet all of you with the warmest feelings on my behalf and on behalf of my people. Until we meet again, I respectfully greet all of you once again.
